Concerning Apollonius and his remarkable powers, Francis Barrett, in his Biographia Antiqua, after describing how Apollonius quelled a riot without speaking a word, continues: "He traveled much, professed himself a legislator; understood all languages, without having learned them: he had the surprising faculty of knowing what was transacted at an immense distance, and at the time the Emperor Domitian was stabbed, Apollonius being at a vast distance, and standing in the market-place of the city, exclaimed, ‘Strike! strike!—’tis done, the tyrant is no more.’ He understood the language of birds; he condemned dancing and other diversions of that sort; he recommended charity and piety; he traveled over almost all the countries of the world; and he died at a very great age."

Wadjet, or the Green One (Egyptian w3yt; also spelled Wadjit, Wedjet, Uadjet or Ua Zit and in Greek, Udjo, Uto, Edjo, and Buto among other names), was originally the ancient local goddess of the city of Dep, which became part of the city that the Egyptians named Per-Wadjet, House of Wadjet, and the Greeks called Buto, a city that was an important site in the Predynastic era of Ancient Egypt and the cultural developments of the Paleolithic. She was said to be the patron and protector of Lower Egypt and upon unification with Upper Egypt, the joint protector and patron of all of Egypt with the "goddess" of Upper Egypt. The image of Wadjet with the sun disk is called the uraeus, and it was the emblem on the crown of the rulers of Lower Egypt. As the patron goddess, she was associated with the land and depicted as a snake-headed woman or a snake—usually an Egyptian cobra, a poisonous snake common to the region; sometimes she was depicted as a woman with two snake heads and, at other times, a snake with a woman's head. Her oracle was in the renowned temple in Per-Wadjet that was dedicated to her worship and gave the city its name. This oracle may have been the source for the oracular tradition that spread to Greece from Egypt. The Going Forth of Wadjet was celebrated on December 25 with chants and songs. An annual festival held in the city celebrated Wadjet on April 21. Other important dates for special worship of her were June 21, the Summer Solstice, and March 14. She also was assigned the fifth hour of the fifth day of the moon.

In Norse mythology, the Three Norns represented the Triple Goddess of Fate. They are also known as the "Wyrrd Sisters". They were named Urd (the past), Verdanti (the present), and Skuld (the future). Urd and Verdanti are believed to spin and weave and cut each thread on the web of life and the fate of every person and creature; Skuld is veiled and holds the future in Her power. It is believed that, as the eldest sister, Skuld may have existed at one time as a single goddess, eventually becoming a Triple Goddess with Her two sisters.

It is said that the Norns are the daughters of necessity; they have no father. They are the guardians of the Yggdrasil, The Tree of Life. They sit under one of the roots of the tree, and they dispense their fate upon the Gods and humankind. All of life, including the Universe, depends upon the Yggdrasil and the Norns to stay alive. The sisters collect water from the Well of Urd and sprinkle it onto the roots of the tree. They are the different stages of our life--the Maiden, the Mother, the Crone. As we age, we should say good-bye to one Norn and welcome the next through ritual.

THE NORNS KEEP US IN TOUCH WITH THE WHOLE OF LIFE--PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE--AND SERVE AS A REMINDER OF HOW MUCH OF IT MAY BE OUT OF OUR CONTROL. PERHAPS WE WERE BORN INTO A TROUBLED FAMILY OR HAVE EXPERIENCED A TRAUMATIC EVENT IN OUR LIVES. AS A RESULT, WE MAY BE DWELLING TOO MUCH IN THE PAST. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO MOVE ON AND THE PASSAGE OF LIFE OF THESE THREE SISTERS CAN HELP US IN DOING THAT. THE NORNS OR TRIPLE GODDESS CAN HELP TO BRING US TO THE POINT WHERE WE CAN MOVE ON WITH OUR LIVES AND NOT STAY STUCK IN THE UNHELPFUL PAST. WE ALL HAVE SOME TYPE OF UNRESOLVED ISSUE FROM OUR CHILDHOOD, AND A SHAKY PAST CAN MAKE US FEEL UNCERTAIN AND CONFUSED ABOUT OUR IDENTITY.

"WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR PAST. REMEMBER BOTH THE GOOD TIMES AND THE BAD, THE THINGS THAT WERE SPECIAL TO YOU AS WELL AS THAT WHICH WAS UNHELPFUL. END YOUR LETTER BY SAYING GOOD-BYE TO ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT HAVE HINDERED YOU AND KEPT YOU FROM BECOMING WHOLE. THIS COULD INCLUDE THE PEOPLE THAT HURT YOU. THEN, TAKE ALL OF THE BLESSED TIMES AND BRING THEM INTO YOUR PRESENT TO HELP YOU TO STAY STRONG. ONCE YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED THE POSITIVE THINGS IN THE PRESENT, YOU MIGHT WISH TO BURN YOUR LETTER IN A SMALL RITUAL CEREMONY. "